inReach Webinar – What Happens When You Trigger an SOS?

You plan to avoid emergencies, but they do occur. In this instructional webinar led by Chip Noble, senior product manager at Garmin, and Emily Thompson, emergency operations manager at GEOS, we discussed what happens when you trigger an SOS. We also covered the SOS functionality on inReach devices, how the IERCC at GEOS coordinates a rescue response and steps you can take to help aid in your rescue.

In this instructional webinar led by Chip Noble, senior product manager at Garmin, we reviewed the core inReach features to help you get the most out of your inReach experience. Topics included setting up and sending messages, adding contacts, creating routes and waypoints, navigation, tracking, using MapShare™, requesting weather forecasts, and more.

The Four Rivers Field Office Draft Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement is now available for public comment

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Boise District, Four Rivers Field Office (FRFO) has prepared a Draft Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft RMP/EIS) for public lands within its Planning Area. The Draft RMP/EIS describes and analyzes management alternatives for the public lands and resources managed by the FRFO and provides BLM with a comprehensive framework for administering public lands. This document also analyzes the future use and management direction of the many natural and cultural resources found in the Planning Area over the next 20 years and beyond. The Draft RMP/EIS informs the public about potential management options.

The FRFO encompasses an area located in southwestern Idaho extending north of the Snake River from approximately Glenns Ferry in the southeast, west to Weiser, and north to McCall. The planning area includes all of the FRFO located outside the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA) which is governed by a separate RMP. The planning area encompasses approximately 783,000 surface acres and 1,173,150 acres of mineral estate in Ada, Adams, Boise, Camas, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, Valley and Washington counties administered by the BLM.

When approved, this RMP will guide the management of public lands administered by the FRFO into the future and will replace the 1988 Cascade RMP, the 1983 Kuna Management Framework Plan (MFP) and the portion of the 1987 Jarbidge RMP covering lands within the FRFO. The BLM encourages the public to provide information and comments pertaining to the analysis presented in the Draft RMP/EIS. We are particularly interested in feedback concerning the adequacy and accuracy of the proposed alternatives, the analysis of their respective management decisions, and any new information that would help the BLM as it develops the plan. In developing the Proposed RMP/Final EIS, which is the next phase of the planning process, the decision maker may select various management decisions from each of the alternatives analyzed in the Draft RMP/EIS for the purpose of creating a management strategy that best meets the needs of the resources and values in this area under the BLM multiple use and sustained yield mandate.

For the latest information on the planning schedule, please see the timeline page. LINK TO DRAFT PLAN

Our Mission

SCA’s mission is to build the next generation of conservation leaders and inspire lifelong stewardship of the environment and communities by engaging young people in hands-on service to the land.

Our History

2017 marked the Student Conservation Association’s 60th Anniversary. As we look back and remember, what becomes abundantly clear is that while times change, SCA remains a stalwart presence for conservation and our country. The young people with whom we work gain an adeptness, an ability to press beyond whatever challenge comes next.

Some families have to dig hard to find the love that holds them together. Some have to grow it out of the ground.
Bruce Kuipers was good at hunting, fishing, and working, but not at much else that makes a real father or husband. Conflicted, angry, and a serial cheater, he destroyed his relationship with his wife, Nancy, and alienated his three sons-journalist Dean, woodsman Brett, and troubled yet brilliant fisherman Joe. He distrusted people and clung to rural America as a place to hide.

So when Bruce purchased a 100-acre hunting property as a way to reconnect with his sons, they resisted. The land was the perfect bait, but none of them knew how to be together as a family. Conflicts arose over whether the land-an old farm that had been degraded and reduced to a few stands of pine and blowing sand-should be left alone or be actively restored. After a decade-long impasse, Bruce acquiesced, and his sons proceeded with their restoration plan. What happened next was a miracle of nature.

Dean Kuipers weaves a beautiful and surprising story about the restorative power of land and of his own family, which so desperately needed healing. Heartwarming and profound, The Deer Camp is the perfect story of fathers, sons, and the beauty and magic of the natural world.

Dean Kuipers has studied and written about the field of environmental politics and the human-nature relationship for decades. He is the author of Burning Rainbow Farm and Operation Bite Back. His work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Outside, The Atlantic, Men’s Journal, Rolling Stone, and Playboy. He lives in Los Angeles.

This event is co-hosted with the Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation

When the Phone Says “No Service”
When you’re out in the wild and need to call for help, don’t be surprised if your cellphone reads “No Service.”
Losing your cell signal while outdoors can be annoying — but if you’re out riding or camping your cellphone signal can mean the difference between life and death. Injuries, being lost, and any other number of hazards can mean we need to call for help — but if there’s no signal to carry your message, then what do you do? READ MORE

Weather all week had been monsoons, and it was still poring Friday night, but all the TV weather people promised that Saturday would be nice and sunny, although I think most doubted it would be!

When I was hooking up my trainer at 06:30 Saturday morning the clouds in the Montour-Sweet valley were only about 100 feet off the ground and the sky was still gray, but what the heck, we will give it a go!

Linda & Tom Hughes, Bill Holt, Charles & Lorraine Chick, Arlynn Hacker, Nancy Smith, Carmen Tyack, Ron Fergie and Rob Adams were soon busy setting up tables and awing and laying out treasure for our loyal friends and customers who stop by at our yard sales each year. The weather was still iffy, but we had our fingers crossed.
A few people showed up but it was a very slow start, so we started to play with some of our items,
Tom Hughes found a kilt that the women convinced him to model. Everyone though he looked very fetching!
Janine Townsend should up with a number of boxes and when we unpacked one we found a Chicken & Pig suit. Carmen and Lorraine put them on and modeled them for the group, then they got some bar chairs and went out and sat by the road, waving at the passing cars. After a couple of near wrecks they put the costumes on the rack, but their antics got the crowds coming to visit us.Charles Chick found some stuffed animals and turned one into a hat

People starting buying thing and the cash box slowly started filling mostly with dollar bills. We had a lot of Toonies donations as the Canadians would say, two dollars at a time. There were very few donations over 20 dollars. Fanny Burki decided she needed some of our treasure for her house and became the big chapter donor.

Then Dee Kincaid showed up and donated a great print with custom frame. This treasure will be held by the chapter until the next convention and use as one of the auction items. Thanks Dee! By 16:00 what was left on the table had been boxed up to be donated and the cash box tallied, Not a bad day, $1081.05 in donations collected!

My name is Tom Helmer and I am the new Non-Motorized Trails Program Manager for the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR). My professional background stretches back to 1998, when I began my career on a trail crew in the Adirondacks of Upstate New York. Since then I have managed or worked on and coordinated trail crews from Maine to Washington, and have had stints at Pinnacles National Park, Arizona Conservation Corps, and the Northwest Youth Corps. Most recently, I was the State Director of the Idaho Conservation Corps.

The primary goal of myself/IDPR will be to work with user groups and federal, state, and local non-motorized trail mangers to improve non-motorized trail opportunities across the state. As part of that effort I have been tasked with working towards development of a dedicated and sustainable non-motorized trail funding mechanism in the near future.

Over the next few months I will be traveling statewide to meet with as many stakeholders as possible. I hope to develop a better understanding of non-motorized trail issues at the local, regional, and state level. Most importantly, I would like to ensure we move forward with a shared vision of a robust statewide trail funding source to address the ever-increasing backlog of non-motorized trail funding needs.

I am extraordinarily excited at this opportunity and to work with any and all interested parties. Please feel free to share my contact information with anyone you feel might be interested.
Finally, don’t hesitate to let me know how I can help you or your organization going forward.

BY NICOLE BLANCHARDMorels are prized by professional chefs and amateur foodies alike for their nutty, earthy flavor. The truffle-like fungi can fetch prices upward of $20 per pound due to their scarcity and short growing season.

So there’s an obvious element to the vagueness with which morel hunters share their finds — no one wants to find their favorite spot picked clean or otherwise disturbed. But the morels themselves are, by nature, a little perplexing, and that adds to the secretive culture around finding them.

Morels are notoriously difficult to cultivate, and the vast majority of each yearly crop is collected in the wild. But where exactly those wild mushrooms will pop up is largely a guessing game.

“That’s sort of the fun (of morel hunting), it’s an enigma,” said Jonathan Oppenheimer, an avid morel hunter who works as the government relations director for the Idaho Conservation League.

“It’s different than huckleberries, where you have your spot and you know they’ll be there year after year after year,” Oppenheimer said.

Instead, morels tend to follow wildfires, cropping up in larger numbers in areas that burned the previous summer. But no one really knows why.

“The ‘big game’ in Idaho and the West is in burned areas,” Oppenheimer said.

Coloradans Trent and Kristen Blizzard comb through wildfire data to offer a “burn morel map” of the West each year through their website, Modern Forager. A PDF of burned areas across 10 states where you’re likely to find morels (including “the top 11 burns” in Idaho) will run you $40.

“Because they only grow in recent forest fires, they are not such a secret location and we are able to share new maps every year,” the Blizzards said in an email to the Statesman. “The real secret is to know what burn is the right one to go to — which we suss out in our book and maps for people. Finding the correct trees, elevations, aspects, etc. is the secret there … but, frankly, it is not rocket science!” READ MORE

Last month, after both House and Senate approval, the president signed into law the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. This sweeping act, cosponsored by senators Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), packaged together a raft of over 130 conservation bills addressing important issues such as the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a national volcano-monitoring system, and protections against mineral extraction that could harm national parks.

The Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, known in political circles as S.47, has been widely lauded for its expansive scope. A press release issued by Senator Cantwell called it “a key tool to continue to solve our problems of access to public lands, particularly in parts of the country where the access to those public lands is being eroded by development.”

It’s also a relief for stewards of the North Country Scenic Trail (NCT), the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, and the American Discovery Trail (ADT), three of our nation’s longest and most diverse trails, which will see significant development as a result of the act. READ MORE

Sawyer Safety Workshop – Sunday May 19, 201909:00 to 16:00(Educational Event)
Location: Classroom: Rob & Linda Adams, Sweet, IDSawyer safety review and training class for new sawyers and current sawyers. “A”&”B” Sawyers
If you are currently a sawyer or would like to be, plan on attending this class room safety review.
Pictures from Past Training Events 20152010
All who are planning to attend should review the Sawyer Training Manual Chapter 1-3
Contact: Rob Adams 208-781-0548 projects@sbbchidaho.org

May 2019 – “C” Bucker Sawyer Training This week Charles Chick & Rob Adams completed “C” bucker training and received USFS accreditation to train and evaluate volunteer sawyers under the USFS program.A Sawyer – Apprentice Sawyer Bucking Only. These sawyers must be supervised by a B or C skill level sawyer (supervising within their individual restrictions) during saw work activity in the least complex situations. Sawyers at this level may perform at the next higher level under the immediate supervision of a sawyer qualified at the higher level. Re-evaluation schedule: yearly.

B Sawyer – Intermediate Sawyer Bucking Only. These sawyers may work independently during saw work activity, and may cut any size material in moderately complex situations. Sawyers at this level may perform at the next higher level under the immediate supervision of a sawyer qualified at the higher level. Re-evaluation schedule: every 3 years.
Any member not listed above who in interested in learning about operating a chainsaw or working around someone who is should attend our Sawyer Safety workshop!
Ask anyone who attended last year, it is worth your time and is fun.

The Git-It-Done team of Lisa Griffith, Janine Townsend, Janelle Weeks, Shelly Duff and Kelly Ragland present a six hour clinic at the Emmett public arena on a perfect spring day. Twenty six members and guest attended. Including members from a local Boys Scout troop who will be working with Squaw Butte on our National Trails Day project. The woman have been planing this clinic for months and put together a great program of both hands on and demonstrations and lectures of what stock packing is and how you can use your stock to explore the back country.Lisa Griffith started the clinic explaining the goals and how the day would progress, Janine Townsend talked about basic equipment and stock care, Shelly Duff discussed different packing saddles and there use and correct fit on your pack stock. Janelle Weeks did a spellbinding presentation on how to “back pack” on your riding horse. Just like magic, she pulled a complete outfit out of her saddle bags, that included tent, sleeping bag, pad, spare cloths, first aid and personal items, cooking equipment and food. Total weight 23 pounds.Kelly Ragland talked about first aid and kits for both humans and stock and that completed the morning session. Phil Ryan had grilled hot dogs, chips and drinks ready and the group enjoyed a great lunch. The team than brought the star of the show, Bubba the mule on stage and fitted a pack saddle on him, loaded boxes and an H-Pack and with the help of a couple of scouts pack him. We then broke up into groups and working with the “Blue” mules practiced a number of the items that had been discussed and answered a lot of great questions.

Shelly Duff has a typical three horse goose-neck trailer with an RV mattress up front and a lot of stuff piled on the floor in the dressing room/storage space, like most of us with this style of trailer. In the summer of 2018 Lisa Griffith and her partner Levi Sayre converted her bumper pull trailers storage area into a cozy living quarters and Shelly was impressed. Over the winter Shelly cleaned out the area and Lisa and Levi went to work. This is the results.If you have always wanted a living quarters trailer, but didn’t want the size and cost that they generally entail, consider contacting Lisa and Levi to see what they might do with your current one.

A combination of planning, collaboration, hard work, and luck produced a wonderful Fine Art Photography exhibit called The Wild Horses of Idaho – Mustangs of the East Fork and Challis Basin which premiered at the MESH Gallery at Heritage Hall in Ketchum, Idaho on Saturday night (May 26th, 2018).After eight months of planning and reconnaissance by MESH Art, Claire Porter and Jeff Lubeck conducted a multi-day photo-shoot in the Mountains of Idaho. In less than a one-weeks time the photographic artworks were created, printed, framed, and placed in the gallery for display. The exhibit includes a back-story narrative, maps, and behind the scenes photos. The exhibit will be on display through June 17th, 2018.
The Mustang is a free-roaming horse of the American West. It is a decedent of horses brought to America by the Spanish. Technically the Mustang is considered a feral horse given its domesticated linage.

As the snow continues to melt across Central Oregon, outdoors enthusiasts of all types are getting increasingly eager to venture out onto dirt trails.

Hikers, runners, mountain bikers and horseback riders are all ready to enjoy spring on the area’s seemingly endless network of paths.

But before they do so, perhaps a refresher on trail etiquette is in order. Yes, the Bend area is growing and the trails are getting more use. But knowing how to react when you encounter another trail user — and knowing the rules regarding dog-leash restrictions and muddy trails — can greatly add to everybody’s enjoyment of our renowned trail system.

Right of way

The yellow upside-down triangle sign that is affixed to trees on certain trails where there might be conflict among users offers perhaps the simplest explanation for who yields to whom: Mountain bikers yield to both pedestrians and equestrians; all user groups yield to equestrians.

This is mostly for safety reasons, as some horses can spook easily and knock their riders off if a mountain biker or runner comes whizzing by without yielding or warning.

“It’s always good to communicate with a person on horseback and get some feedback,” says Jana Johnson, dispersed recreation team leader for the Deschutes National Forest. “And to be ready to dismount if you can or to get off the trail. Yeah, some horses get spooked if someone comes around a corner quickly. But they all react in different ways depending on the horse. There’s some hazards associated with that.”

At areas such at Horse Butte, just east of Bend, encounters between mountain bikers and horseback riders are fairly common. Other high-use areas, such as the Phil’s Trail network west of Bend, do not have as much equestrian use.

At some popular areas, such as Peterson Ridge near Sisters and Maston near Tumalo, separate trails have been built for mountain bikers and horseback riders.

“Most of our trails are multiple use, so it’s always a good idea to follow the yield sign, but also a friendly gesture to say hello to other user groups,” Johnson says. “I find that can just send a message, that hey, we’re all out here enjoying the same thing and we can all enjoy it together by being respectful to each other. The trails are starting to dry out now and become snow-free. People are definitely starting to get out now.”

Woody Keen, trails program director for the Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA) and a retired professional trail contractor, says mountain bikers ride different trails accordingly. If they are riding a one-way trail in the Phil’s system they are unlikely to encounter a horseback rider, hiker, or other mountain biker. But if they are riding, for instance, the Metolius-Windigo Trail or the Deschutes River Trail, they know they are likely to come across hikers or horseback riders.

“When I’m out riding the Deschutes River Trail, which is predominantly a hiking trail, my reactions need to be different than in the same situation on Phil’s Trail,” Keen says.

He adds that trail users should also be cognizant of the predominant user group and which user group was responsible for designing and building the trail they are on.

“Understand who’s actually taking care of the trails,” Keen says. “I think that goes a long way, giving that respect. Understand how these trails came to be. I think that would go a long way toward helping to reduce potential conflict. We need to figure out how to get along and reduce conflict through better education and more signage, and better camaraderie on working on that common trail.”

As mountain biking continues to grow in popularity in Central Oregon, encounters among bikers are increasingly common. The main rule is that the rider traveling uphill has the right of way.

That can be confusing for several reasons. For starters, many of our trails in Central Oregon are relatively flat. Also, does that mean uphill in general, as in riding west of Bend toward the Cascade Range? No, says Keen. It means any uphill section.

“If you’re going west, you’re generally going uphill, but there are places where you’re going downhill,” Keen says. “Coming back toward town (Bend), you generally are descending. The key is just looking ahead and expecting other users and respecting other users. It’s situation specific.”

Dogs

Keen says that one of the most prevalent types of user conflicts recently has been off-leash dogs versus on-leash dogs.

The vast majority of the Deschutes National Forest allows off-leash dogs. According to the U.S. Forest Service, from Nov. 1 to May 1, dogs are allowed on all but 1 % of the Deschutes National Forest. The area where dogs are not allowed is located north of the Cascade Lakes Highway (west of Bend) and includes areas accessed by the Virginia Meissner, Swampy Lakes, Vista Butte and Dutchman sno-parks.

During the summer, about 54 miles of the 1,200 miles of trails on the forest have an on-leash requirement, according to the Forest Service. These trails include the Three Sisters Wilderness Area between the South Sisters Climbers Trail and Todd Lake from July 15 to Sept. 15. Also, dogs must be leashed on a portion of the Deschutes River Trail (between Benham Falls and Meadow Camp) from May 15 to Sept. 15, except when entering or exiting water sources to swim and play.

Muddy trails

Many trails remain covered in snow and ice, and some are muddy from a combination of snowmelt and rainfall. Trail users are advised by both the Forest Service and COTA to stay off muddy trails, because using them can leave ruts from footprints, tire marks, or horse hooves that dry and harden later in the spring.

“Wait until they drain and firm up a little more, and dry out,” Johnson says. “Those ruts can last for a long time.”

Mountain bikers can check bendtrails.org for information on conditions of area trails.

“It was a pretty long winter — it still is,” Keen says. “I get that people want to go recreate on dirt trails. I understand that. But we ask people to use good judgment and if you observe that you are leaving tread damage because the trail is too soft, turn around and go somewhere else.”

Service and Safety……………….Since the inception of the National Ski Patrol by Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole in 1938, “Service and Safety” has been the NSP motto. Keeping people safe on the mountain and during other outdoor activities is the mission of every patroller wearing the red jacket with the white cross on back.

Could you be a patroller? Would you like to become a member of an organizations whose core values are Excellence, Service, Camaraderie, Leadership, Integrity and Responsiveness? Life happens and the patrol is continually looking for snow sport enthusiasts willing to give their time and skills to help recreationalists be safer during their outdoor pursuits.

The Bogus Basin Ski Patrol is a mostly volunteer organization that primarily provides support for the Bogus Basin Mountain Resort non profit organization that is entrusted with the stewardship of the ski area by the U.S. Forest Service. The support we provide is emergency first aid services. We respond, assess, treat, package, and transport to higher medical authority. Now that we have the technical accurate description out of the way, we can talk about what is ‘under the hood’. Basically, we are a large family. After the shared adversity of enduring the 15 months that it takes to become a patroller, you really get to know your fellow candidates, the patrollers that train you, and the whole patrol family.

Do I need prior medical or emergency medical care experience?

No. The patrol training program begins with the Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) training course. This is a comprehensive class and practical training program that has been developed and refined over the years by the National Ski Patrol. It is intense and requires good personal study habits. You must, ultimately, successfully demonstrate that you have learned the knowledge and are able to perform the treatment skills that this course covers in a series of written and practical tests. So while prior experience is a benefit the curriculum requires only that you make a strong commitment to learn – and succeed in doing so.

On April 6, 2019 eleven Squaw Butte members joined five Bogus Basin Ski Patrol members lead by Karen King to take a one day version of their “OEC” Outdoor Emergency Care training course. This very hands on course is tailored by Karen and her team to target the types of medical emergencies that Back Country Horsemen might encounter on the trail, and what steps to take and what not to do, until the injured party is delivered to higher medical assistance.The BBSP team would demonstrate and then we would break up into small groups and practice the procedure, during which questions were ask, suggestions made and techniques learned. 2019 Outdoor First Aid Class SummaryCoffee and snacks were available to fuel attendees and during the short lunch break we grabbed by the slice pizza from a shop near by. During the whole day, Bogus Basin staff selling season passes and taking in rental ski packages could hear the laughter through the walls of the training room. If you have not attended one of these classes, it is highly recommended you do in the future, you will greatly increase your knowledge and have a great time doing it.

We made it pretty far with the only piece of pro-access legislation of the 2019 session. In fact, it’s the only pro-sportsman related bill introduced this year, period. We provided the committee with high profile news reports of illegal access obstruction going unpunished, and the cultural and economic reasons to support public property rights. Ultimately non-issue concerns, obfuscating the true purpose of S1089, and the Wilks brothers’ testimony won the day.

IWF has made good headway for this idea of civil enforcement of access obstruction, and will carry that momentum today through the 2020 legislative session. But meanwhile, let’s dig into what we learned at the hearing:

The Wilks Bro’s personal lobbyist testified and worked to kill the bill. The lobbyist also happened to be the lawyer who wrote the Trespass Bill of last year. No surprise there, but upsetting that 6 of the 9 legislators sided with out-of-state billionaires over Idahoans, again. The lobbyist opined that S1089 would criminalize innocent behavior, but there are two things to point out about that claim. 1) The bill clearly addresses only “willful” acts, not accidental. 2) The Attorney General opinion for S1089 refutes that claim.

Bob McFadden has a spring special going for BCHI members. A complete cleaning, repair and conditioning of your saddle. My 17 year old McCall Packer was in serious need of some TLC. Bob did a great job and I am ready for the next 10 year on the trail.

About 15 miles north of Emmett is 25,806 acres of rolling hills, prominent buttes and ridgelines that make up the Bureau of Land Management’s Four-Mile Wild Horse Management Area (HMA). Elevations vary from 2,500 to about 5,400 feet.

The Four-Mile population census taken in February 2018 was 128 horses according to Boise District BLM Wild Horse and Burro Specialist Raul Trevino.

History of Gem’s wild horses

The Four-Mile horses originated from domestic stock owned by those living in the Big Willow Creek and Four-Mile Creek areas. Pinto horses were raised by Jack Macomb in the 1930s in the Four Mile Canyon. Others raised horses in the area including Nelson McCullough on Willow Creek, Tom Wilburn on South Crane Creek and Walter Knox on the Indian Jake Ranch. These horses were not considered wild according to the BLM until people came and tried to catch them or chase them. Being difficult to corral, they were considered wild. Sixty-five privately owned horses were rounded up and removed in 1965.

At the passage of the Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act in 1971, two HMAs were identified and BLM was given authority to manage wild horses and burros on public lands. There were 75 horses in the 4-Mile HMA and West Crane HMA. Decisions removed the horses permanently from West Crane and reduced the Four-Mile to the appropriate management level of 20 head for rangeland health.

An aerial survey in 1972 counted a total of 13 adult and two foals. Of those, one was a mule, one wore a halter and another horse wore hobbles.

During a 1986 wildfire in the Four-Mile HMA, 14,000 acres burned. The horses were removed January 1987 due to a lack of forage on their home range and to allow vegetation recovery. The area was aerially seeded with grasses and forbs. Then in the fall of 1991, nine horses from the Owyhee Resource Area were introduced back into the Four-Mile HMA. Three years later there were 12 head on 18,018 acres.

Currently there are 128 horses in the HMA. The Low Allowable Management level is 37 head for the area, so the BLM is in the process of gathering and removing horses to meet the allowable number. BLM manages a total of six wild horse herd management areas in Idaho on approximately 418,000 acres of private, public and state lands.

As of March 1, 2018, the wild horse and burro population on public lands was estimated at 82,000 animals, which is more than triple the number of animals the land can support in conjunction with other legally mandated land uses. Four-Mile HMA is also overpopulated.

March 17, 2019 turned out to be a great day to ride in the Owyhee Front, high 40’s temperatures, light breezes and a group of members and guest that were really glad to be out on their horses. BLM’s Wilson Creek Trail head is the perfect location for a day like this. Lots of great trail, good parking and pretty easy to get to.Our group broke up in to three separate teams. One team went hiking, the second team wanted to make the 10 miles Hard Trigger Canyon Loop, and the third team wanted to ride up the Wilson Creek trail making a shorter loop.

After everyone returned from their respective rides and hikes we shared various treats and talked about the adventures we had!

I have been asked by the Eagle Rock chapter to encourage you to attend the Saturday, March 23rd Convention.

I have been attending conventions since 2007, and I can tell you they are FUN, EDUCATIONAL and the food is always GREAT. But watch those auctions, with all the great donations you could home with less $green$ (all I can say is thank God for plastic!). And speaking of donations, chapters are asked to bring a high ticket item for the live auction and individuals, if they like, can bring new or used items (like the silver bit I got lats year) for the silent auction. And don’t forget the Photo Contest!!! The 2018 calendar full page photos for August and September were past winners.

Here is the agenda for the day. The morning is filled with business which includes four proposals to vote on. Each chapter gets 8 voting delegates (members in good standing-meaning they’ve paid their dues). The more delegates your chapter has, the more sway you’ll have in the voting. Sometimes it comes down to just that one vote.

Also attached is the registration form. The due date says the 4th, but call Winnie or Aline and they will be more than happy to take your RSVP.

The convention will be held at Shilo Inn and Convention Center780 Lindsay Blvd. Idaho Falls, Id. 83402, (208) 523-0088 shiloinns.com
Special Discounted Room Rate: $83 nightly (reserve under BCHI name) some times you can’t get the special discount if you use an 800 number.https://www.shiloinns.com/shilo-inns-idaho-falls?pi=iifid

For the 10th year the south western Idaho chapters of Back Country Horsemen of Idaho, Boise, Squaw Butte and Treasure Valley have manned a BCHI information booth at the Idaho Sportsman show at the Expo Idaho grounds. As in years past our booth was next to Public Land Agencies, the US Forest Service and BLM. Our display generated a lot of interest, with lots of questions about the various pictures and the trail safety posters. We handed out lots of information about BCHI, and the ITA (Idaho Trails Association) who partners with our chapters on wilderness projects. Thank you to the members of the Boise and Treasure Valley chapters who stood booth shifts, and to the Squaw Butte Members, David Benson, Charles & Lorraine Chick, Shannon Schantz, Nancy Smith, Arlynn Hacker, Phil Ryan, Carmen Tyack, Bill Holt, Rob Adams and Bill & Marybeth Conger.

ttacks to Idaho’s public lands in the Idaho legislature have been on the rise. This year, IWF has worked hard to shed light on legislation moving through the State House that negatively impact Idaho’s public lands and your public land rights. HJM5, HJM8 and HB162 all have negative consequences for Idaho’s lands and wildlife and all four passed through the House, now bound for the Senate. You can find out more about each bill on our website.

After IHC President Dixie Christensen called meeting to order, roll call was taken and motions carried to approve the November 17,2018 minutes as amended and the special director meeting of December 27, 2018.

2. Hiring of Executive Director- A committee was formed. Director input on what an Executive Director should do for the IHC. Please respond to committee email requests. IHC has temporarily hired a temporary secretary.

PAYETTE TRAILS! Introducing the Payette National Forest Trail Status Map! This is a great map that allows you to see the current status of every trail on the Forest. Plan your next trip with this map. Click this link – its easy to remember! http:/bit.ly/PayetteTrails